iPadOS tips and tricks that make your iPad a whole lot more useful: Starting with iOS 13, Apple configured the iPad operating system to advance on a separate track from the iPhone operating system. It continued on this path with the release of iOS 14 last fall. It’s still a close cousin to the iPhone OS, but it diverges in key areas to improve the tablet’s ability to replace your laptop in some cases, and to give iPad users a more flexible experience. The latest version of iPadOS 14 works on all iPads from iPad Air 2 and newer and is a viable update for all iPads now using iPadOS 13.
The tips and tricks below are iPad specific, with several new features introduced in iOS 14 that are also available in iPadOS. Learn more about how to use the new features in iOS 14 here. The following tips and tricks are the latest available that cover iPadOS 13 through iPadOS 14.4.
How to use the home screen
The iPadOS Home screen offers more space for applications and allows you to permanently position certain Today View widgets on the screen when the device is in landscape mode. Go to Settings> Home screen and docking station and press After or Bigger. More can accommodate up to 30 app icons on the home screen, while Bigger can accommodate 20 app icons. Tapping After allows you to swipe the home screen to the right to display Today view whenever you want. You can also choose to keep Today view on the Home screen at all times.
How to stack widgets
With iPadOS 14, you can now further customize the Today View interface by creating stacks of widgets. First, tap and hold anywhere on the home screen to get the editing interface – this is where the app icons wiggle around and you can see More and Less controls at the top left of each icon and stack. Press the Edit Stack to set which apps you can see and in what order. Use the three bar icon to the right of each widget to change the order. Widgets display in both landscape and portrait orientation, but with the latter you can display either day view or app icons, but not both at the same time.
How to use universal search
With iPadOS 14, Apple made the search functionality closer to Spotlight, faster, more precise and less intrusive. Just slide your finger down from the top of the screen (not the top as this will summon the lock screen, just near the top). From there, you can use the search bar as an address bar by typing in a URL or search term without having to launch a search engine or Safari first.
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How to use Scribble
A new feature in iPadOS 14 is Scribble for the Apple Pencil. It lets you handwrite in any text field available on your iPad, so anywhere you used to type you can now write. And it works pretty well for translating your handwriting to text or you can leave it in your own scribble.
How to translate languages in Safari
While iPadOS 14 lacks the new Translate app featured in iOS 14, the latest iPadOS lets you translate foreign websites easily in Safari. Just press the AA icon in the URL bar and press Translate in English. You can also use the same method to translate to the original language.
How to pin messages
With iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, you can pin up to nine one-on-one or group conversations to Messages at the top of the screen for easy tracking of your favorite or most important conversation threads. Launch the messages app on your iPad and long press the conversation you want to pin to the top. Then press the Pin in the resulting menu.
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How to use the app sidebars
Sidebar is a new design feature for iPadOS 14 that Apple has added to its stock apps like Photos, Notes, and Music. It allows you to drag and drop files and more easily navigate in applications or move items. Additional developers are expected to add the sidebar to their third-party apps in the future.
How to use the floating keyboard
The floating keyboard, a diminutive version of the iPad keyboard, can be positioned anywhere on the screen. It is ideal for one-handed use and less intrusive positioning. To access it, pinch the keyboard until it shrinks or long press the keyboard icon to display the floating option, then tap it. Spread two fingers apart to reactivate the full-size keyboard.
How to use the QuickPath keyboard
Apple’s QuickPath keyboard lets you cycle through the connection letters to form words and phrases rather than hitting the glass to type. This machine learning feature recognizes the path of your finger or stylus to form patterns from frequent words and convert them to text. Simply slide your finger to form words, stopping briefly to register the next letter. This control is on by default, but it might not be everyone’s favorite thing. If you don’t like it, you can turn off the control with Settings> General> Keyboards> Remove slide type by word. You will only see this stop switch if the Slide the floating keyboard to type is activated.
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How to edit text
There are several ways to edit text in iPadOS, including some cool ways to copy, paste, undo, and redo. A simple touch conjures up a cursor that you can move freely with your finger anywhere in the text. To select text, just double-tap a word, after which you can copy it with a three-finger pinch and paste it with a three-finger spread. A triple click selects an entire paragraph. Undo and redo gestures include swiping left with three fingers to undo and right with three fingers to redo. All of these gestures work more or less as advertised in the Notes app, but we haven’t been able to get them to work in other apps.
How to use multiple windows of the same application
iPadOS lets you view and use multiple windows of the same app, which is handy for multitasking. You can activate an app’s second window from the dock by first opening an instance of the app, then holding the same app’s icon in the dock for a while before dragging it to the left. or the right of the screen. You can position the second instance to split the screen in half or to occupy a quarter of the screen.
App Exposé shows you all the open windows you have available for a specific app in Slide Over or Split View. Just tap and hold an icon in the dock and you’ll see all the open windows. Or you can long press an app icon on the home screen and choose Show all windows.
How to use multiple apps in Slide Over
With iPadOS 13, multitasking takes center stage with Slide Over. This feature allows you to switch between multiple applications from the same window. First, set the scene with via Settings> Home screen and Dock> Multitasking and activate the three controls for Allow multiple apps, picture-in-picture, and gestures. Once you’ve launched a floating window, you can drag an app from the Dock to add more windows. With multiple apps in Split View, you’ll see a home bar at the bottom. Slide your finger horizontally over it to switch between apps in the Slide Over panel.
With an app open, swipe up from the bottom of the screen to reveal the dock, then hold another app icon for a second before dragging it over to the left or right of the screen. ‘screen. You can then switch between these apps by swiping left or right at the bottom of the Slide Over screen.
How to add a mouse in iPadOS
From iPadOS 13, you can sync a Bluetooth mouse with your iPad. First, turn on Settings> Accessibility> AssistiveTouch. After that, it is very easy to pair your wireless mouse using bluetooth settings. When you turn on your mouse, you will now see a small, round gray mouse cursor. You can adjust the visual characteristics of the slider via Settings> Accessibility> Pointer control and use the sliders, color, and contrast controls to magnify and color the round slider and control how long it stays visible. Then use your mouse to navigate and control your iPad.
How to use Sidecar
The Sidecar feature lets you use an Apple HomePod as a second screen for your Mac. To take advantage of this handy feature, you’ll need to be running MacOS Catalina or later on a Mac with a processor like Skylake or higher. This feature is only available on newer MacBooks and does not work on models prior to 2015. Only iPads that support Apple Pencil are compatible with Sidecar. To activate the function on compatible devices, press the AirPlay in the menu bar and select your iPad from the list. You now have a convenient second screen for working or entertaining.